Beautiful Dreams of Irish Green

In Paris, the city seemed brighter. People seemed to have their eye on fashion in comparison to Ireland. It reminded me a lot of New York here.
“Darling!” My mother said as she met me in the lobby of our hotel. It was a grand hotel with high ceilings and marble everything. This was one of the most famous hotels that celebrities stayed in all the time. She kissed both of my cheeks. She took a step back and looked at me.
“Hello mother,” I said looking at her.
She was still as beautiful as before, thin with long legs and an angled bob.
“You look... refreshed!” She said to me.
“I didn’t want to leave,” I smiled at her as she took me by the hand and waved to the worker to come here.
My mom said something very quickly in french. I only made out the words bag and top floor. So she asked the man to bring the bags to the suite.
“This is exciting, we get to spend a week together before your senior year! Remember the first time you were here and you wanted to sleep under the Eiffel Tower?” My mom said as we went to the elevator.
“Hold it!” I heard a british voice say. I grabbed the elevator door as it was closing an a familiar boy walked into the elevator with a large guitar case. He had curly hair and very defined cheekbones.
“Miss Driver,” He smiled and then he nodded his head at me.
“Mr. Styles, how have you been? Hows the rest of the band?” My mother asked. The rest of the band? My mom knew One Direction? It didn’t surprise me but for her to have an outward conversations with teenage boys.
“Well thanks, we have a concert in town. How are you?”
“In town for the fashion gala. This is my daughter Penelope.” She said introducing me.
“Penelope, eh? I just heard about a Penelope. But I’m Harry,” He said putting his hand out for me to shake. He said Harry without using the “H” in it as if he said Arry. He eyed me skeptically. The elevator stopped at his floor and he nodded and said he will see us.
“He’s a nice boy,” My mom said as the elevator stopped at the penthouse.

~*~

The Fashion Gala was that night and I text Niall nervously.
‘YOU DONT HAVE TO COME’ I texted
‘I’M ON MY WAY UP.’
My mother had already left because she was going with Marc Jacobs and his team.
My mother had picked out a light pink dress with a plunging deep v-neckline, and a tool ballet skirt.
I was pacing back and forth waiting for Niall who showed up just in time when I want to hit the elevator down button and he was already in the elevator wearing a white button down shirt and light gray pants.
“Wow,” He said. I stepped in the elevator with my purse in hand.
“You clean up nice yourself,”I smiled.
“So you ran into Harry?” He asked on the way down gawking at my dress.
“The curly one?” I asked.
“Yes that is him,” He smiled.
“Yea, I did. He seemed nice. He knew my mom though,” I said facing the elevator doors.
“Harry is a bit of a cougar chaser,” Niall said as we dinged to the main floor.
I was taken back.
“So, Harry hit on my mom?” I asked.
Niall laughed at this.
“No, he likes her,” He pointed out as he opened the door for me and led me to the car parked out front for us. Harry was like eighteen and my mom was in her late forties.
“So you guys are playing here?” I asked.
“Tomorrow night, yea. I got you your backstage thing.” He mentioned.
“I’ll find a way to get out. I can’t imagine performing in front of people...ever.”
He looked out the window as we passed by beautiful buildings. The sun was setting.
“I never thought so either, then it happened. It was pretty incredible.” He smiled a genuine goofy grin.
“You guys did really prove yourselves,” I told him looking over at him then looking back out the window.
“You can barely say the name of the band,” He joked.
“But a girl can google! and I like that song that goes,” I started to song “You don’t knooooooow you’re beautiful!!!”
I sounded like a dying cat.
“Beautiful as you are, singing is not a career choice,” He smiled at me and I hit him and he raised his eyebrows at me. “Leave it to the pros,” He winked as the car stopped behind several different cars. The red carpet was close.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked him.
“As sure as a leprechaun wanting his luck charms!” He said and his irish accent stuck out a lot there.
“Really?” I laughed.
“Corny, right?” He said.
I nodded as we pulled up to the carpet. Cameras flashed in all different directions as Niall opened the door and put his hand out for me.
“Miss Driver!” photographers screamed or “Mr. Horan!”
We stopped every so often to pose and people shouted in different languages.
I could only make out the english, “ARE YOU TWO DATING?”
Niall had my arm in his and he held me steady. He looked down and me and I looked up at him for a second then back at the photographers.
We went along and talked to my mothers assistant, a small man named John.
“Penelope,” He said cheerfully kissing both of my cheeks. He shook Niall’s hand.
“We are so glad you bought a date. Your mother is ahead but she will meet you inside at the table.
Everything was luxurious, from the designers working at Chanel to Louboutin to the ceiling to the floor. This gala was to help benefit third world countries, “Fashion Giving Back”.
“I think fashion is a bunch of rubbish,” Niall whispered in my ear at the table. I looked at him and raised my eyebrows.
“I’m surprised by the way you dress,” I laughed. He looked at me and winked.
“Well, I do own a dress just like that,” He said referring to the one I’m wearing.
I excused myself from the table and walked over to the bar to get a drink. My mother sat next to Niall, they started talking intensely.
“What’d she say?” I asked as I sat back down.
He smiled at me, “Oh, nothing,” He said.
“What?” I asked him.
“Let’s just say you’ll be able to come to the concert tomorrow night with no worries.” His irish blue eyes danced and smiled. The Gala was a very successful event. Until I got a text from my best friend at the end of the night with a picture attached.

MARGOT JAMES
11:35 P.M
‘NIALL HORAN? EXPLAIN.’

Attached: A picture of Niall and I looking at each other longingly.

I shoved the phone toward Niall in the car and he just shook his head and laughed.
“Great,” I muttered as he pulled out his phone.
“You should see twitter,” He said and I took his phone from him and read some of the tweets about girls who were heartbroken and sad.
“I think it’s a good picture,” He smiled. He took his phone back and started to use it intensely.
“What’re you doing?” I asked as he put his IPhone in front of our faces and turned on the face camera.
“Just smile,” He said and I looked over at him as he took the picture. “Well, now you’re on instagram making that mad face,” He said leaning back. His irish accent was music to my ears but I still glared at him.
“Come on, Pen. You might be beautiful but I’m still posting it,” He winked and I rolled my eyes and looked out the window. I let a smile creep against my lips.

‘ARE YOU DATING?!’ Margot texted again.

I’ll let them believe what they want.